UPDATE: Three suspects arrested, believed to have been involved in string of gas station robberies

Posted:
Wednesday, July 16, 2014 6:00 PM EDT

?Eau Claire (News Release) - On July 2, 2014 Eau Claire Police responded to armed robberies at the Holiday Gas Station, 2205 Eddy La, and at the Mega Holiday, 2308 E. Clairemont Av. On July 11, 2014 Eau Claire Police responded to a third armed robbery at the Mega Holiday, 2119 Cameron St. The investigation of these armed robberies by the Eau Claire Police Department Detective Division identified similarities between these cases as well as armed robberies in other jurisdictions. By actively gathering evidence and following up on leads, the Eau Claire Detective Division identified a vehicle that was linked to these armed robberies. This information was shared with other regional law enforcement agencies in hopes of identifying the suspects and connecting other crimes in the region.

On July 16, 2014, the Rice Lake Police Department responded to a bank robbery in its jurisdiction and took Jesse G. Sweeter into custody with assistance of the Barron County Sheriff’s Office. The vehicle that had been identified by Eau Claire Police Detectives was located near the scene of the bank robbery. Due to the proactive information sharing between law enforcement agencies, the Eau Claire Police Department was contacted and responded to Rice Lake.

Investigators from multiple law enforcement agencies worked collaboratively and identified two additional suspects, Ricky D. White and Kyle W. Langner, who were involved in the three armed robberies in the City of Eau Claire. Investigators obtained physical evidence, video surveillance footage, and admissions linking these three suspects to the City of Eau Claire robberies. Eau Claire Police Detectives believe there are no additional suspects involved in these three convenience store robberies. All three suspects are in custody related to these investigations.

These cases remain under investigation by the Eau Claire Police Department Detective Division. Anyone with additional information should contact Detective Sergeant Mark Pieper at 715-839-6217 or leave an anonymous tip by calling the Eau Claire Police Department Tipster Line at 715-839-4982 or Text ECPD and the tip to 847411 (TIP411).

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Rice Lake (News Release) - On Wednesday, July 16, 2014, at approximately 12:17 p.m., Rice Lake officers were dispatched to a bank robbery at Sterling Bank on the city's north side.

It was determined that a lone male entered the bank, displayed a handgun and fled on foot from the bank with an undisclosed amount of money.

Within minutes of the call, with the assistance of the Barron County Sheriff's Department and Wisconsin State Patrol, the 19-year-old suspect, Jesse G. Sweeter, of Rice Lake, was taken into custody. The money and the handgun were both recovered by law enforcement. No one was physically injured during this incident.

Jesse Sweeter is currently being held in the Barron County Jail on a probation hold pending issuances of formal charges for Armed Robbery.

The circumstances surrounding this case remain under investigation by the Rice Lake Police Department and the FBI. Based on similarities with recent cases in the area, additional law enforcement agencies were contacted and are currently conducting follow-up investigations.

**************************************************Rice Lake (News Release) - On Wednesday, July 16, 2014, at approximately 12:17 p.m., Rice Lake officers were dispatched to a bank robbery at Sterling Bank on the city's north side.

It was determined that a lone male entered the bank, displayed a handgun and fled on foot from the bank with an undisclosed amount of money.

Within minutes of the call, with the assistance of the Barron County Sheriff's Department and Wisconsin State Patrol, the 19-year-old suspect was taken into custody. The money and handgun were both recovered by law enforcement. No one was physically injured during this incident.

The case remains under investigation. Additional information about this incident is expected to be released at a later date.